I've obviously been a fan of the vampire genre in literature since I first began to read way back when (I borrowed "Dracula" at the age of 8 from the grandmother of a friend and only understood portions of it, but I was "hooked" in spite of my limited comprehension), but I understand that its become more than moribund over the decades. Modern writers spend a great deal of their efforts trying to inject new life into the genre by coming up with twists to standard vampire mythology. Sure, I can appreciate why they do it, but it seldom, if ever, works. I'll take a marble-mouthed Eastern European Count in a cape anyday over a long-haired, existentially tortured "Goth" vampire.
In "Nightlife", a seemingly vampiric predator hunts among the city's homeless population, sustaining his own unnatural existence with their blood, and their "fear", until some of them band together, and decide to fight back.
Ellis tries, I'll give him that. Some of what he comes up with works to a point (I like the idea of a vampire feading as much on the fear of a victim as on the blood), and is certainly inventive. Overall, it doesn't quite work, and "Nightlife" is not ever going to qualify as a "classic", but it's a brisk, fairly imaginative read, and you could do a lot worse. If I come across another book by Jack Ellis, I'd be inclined to read it, and these days, considering the current state of "horror" novels, that's pretty strong praise.
